Armored metallurgical shaft furnace



m 29, 1964 e. BRINKMANN ETAL 3,151,193

ARMQRED METALLURGICAL sum FURNACE Filed. July 7, 1961 Fly. I

Die/er Hen/res By (he/r aflomeys M G-LE United States Patent 3,151,198 ARMORED METALLURGICAL SHAFT FURNACE Georg Brinlrmann, Duishurg-Huckingen, and Dieter This invention relates to shaft furnaces such as high blast furnaces and more particularly to a support ring for the impact armor thereof. The impact-taking armor disposed in the upper region of shaft furnaces, particularly high blast furnaces, has two essential functions: In the first place, it is intended to protect the masonry proper against charges sliding off the bell, and in the second place it is intended to contribute to a uniform distribution of the material in the charge. Various forms of such armor have been known. Thus use has been made of impacttaking armor consisting of bars or similar formed parts that are connected closely together and are suspended upon special supports upon the furnace masonry lining. They are subdivided both as respects their length and also their annular suspension. They can be connected to intermediate members, so that they are able to follow the expansion and contraction produced by temperature changes. Other known impact-taking armor consists of integral cast iron or cast steel segments, that are let into the masonry and are assembled to form rings. These are held by special ribs fastened to the inside of the outer skin of the furnace, and are fastened to one another and to the ribs by screws that permit a certain freedom of movement. In essence however these annular composite impact-taking pieces of armor are suspended upon the masonry of the furnace. They have also already provided segment-shaped cast iron or steel elements stacked layerwise one above the other, with intermediate layers made of refractory bricks held by cast iron. Finally, use has already been made of support rings, of assembled segments, resting upon the furnace masonry, upon which rings is suspended an im pact-taking armor made of cast iron impact-armor bricks set masonrywise, and not connected to the masonry proper except for sand being tamped in behind them.

All these known arrangements of impact-taking armor and of support rings are subjected to temperature stresses, which in the upper region of the furnace stack are often relatively great, and that consequently cause expansion. When the furnace is throttled down they cause corresponding contraction. These inevitable phenomena result in distortions or destruction of parts of the impact-taking armor. These disturb the charging of the furnace and consequently its operation. Or they may have the result that the fastening-together parts, such as screws, straps and the like, tear out during a contraction. Moreover, during the course of the operation of the furnace, the masonry slowly becomes thinner and this naturally affects impact-taking armor parts let into it or resting directly or indirectly upon it, and thus affects the durability of the armor and/ or of its associated supports rings.

The subject of the invention is a support ring, for impact-taking armor in shaft furnaces and in particular in blast furnaces. Such rings are known consisting of individual segments, and the present invention avoids the drawbacks of the known support rings that rest upon the furnace masonry. By the use of the new support rings all these drawbacks inherent in previously-known impacttaking armor arrangements are avoided.

In accordance with the invention the individual segments of the support ring are mounted separately from 3,151,198 Patented Sept. 29, 1964 the furnace masonry. They are carried exclusively by the external armor or casing of the furnace, whereby their inner part extends cantilevered bracket-fashion into the interior of the furnace. Upon this cantilevered part are disposed masonry-fashion the segment-shaped armor bricks that are of themselves known, and they are held in position by means of sand tamped in behind them. With the described arrangement, it is also no longer necessary to connect together the individual segments of the new support ring at the inside of the furnace. This eliminates the risk of a tearing-out of the connector elements or the like during contraction and expansion movements of the ring material. The segments should be of a shape that permits their being in the first place disposed with spaces between them that makes allowance for the expansion and contraction movements, and that in the second place permits using, so far as possible, only a single format for different furnace diameters. In this way any great gaps that may occur can be bridged over by a suitable arrangement of the armor bricks. The segments are essentially of a leaflike shape, having a narrow neck portion and a body portion wider than the neck portion, Whose narrow part is held in the outer armor or casing of the furnace. They are made hollow, and through them flows a stream of cooling water, which is particularly eflicacious in the broad part that extends into the interior of the furnace, it being possible to remove the conduits for the cooling water if the segment becomes leaky, so that the segment can then be rammed full of suitable material. It is advantageous for the segments to be made of cast steel, which usually gives a longer life and is less subjected to being damaged by high temperatures than is, for example, hematite cast iron.

The drawing shows one example of construction of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a view in vertical section through part of the stack of a blast furnace made in accordance with the invention showing a single support ring segment, the illustration being schematic, and also showing the impact-taking armor consisting of known armor bricks.

FIG. 2 shows thesupport ring segment and associated parts of FIG. 1 in vertical section.

FIG. 3 shows the support ring segment of FIGS. 1 and 2 in horizontal section taken along line AA of FIG. 1.

At the places provided for the support ring segments 2 of the invention the outer armor or casing 4 of the furnace has suitable cut-outs 6, that are provided with framelike flanges 8, 10, into which is pushed the narrow part of the segment. The design of the segment 2 and of its attachment is such as to allow for expansion of the masonry vertically, which is inevitable after a relining. For these reasons the segment 2 rests upon the lower transverse flange 8 of the cut-out 6, while there remains a special gap 6a between the upper edge of the segment 2 and the upper transverse flange 8. At its underside the segment 2 carries a downwardly extending projection 12, that bears against the inner edge of the lower transverse flange 8. Its height is such that its bearing against the lower flange 8 is ensured even when an expansion of the masonry, through pushing the segment 2 upward, decreases or even entirely eliminates the gap 6a between the upper edge of the segment 2 and the lower edge of the transverse flange 8. At the outer end of the upper edge of the segment 2 is also disposed an outwardly directed flange 14, on top of which rests an angle-piece 16, that is screwed to the flange 14. The angle-piece 16 bears with its inner side edge against the outer edge of the upper transverse flange 8 (see FIG. 2). The vertical part of the angle-piece 16 should be of a height that approximately corresponds to the height of the projection 12 disposed at the underside of the segment 2, in order that sealing of the furnace space may be ensured with an expansion of its masonry. The

3 angle-piece 16 moreover gives the segment 2 its necessary hold, through bearing against the outer casing or the upper transverse flange 8 of the cut-out 6 when the bracketlike cantilevered part extending into the interior of the furnace is loaded by the masonryl-ike layers of armor bricks 18.

The total 'height between the upper edge of the flange 14 and the lower edge of the outside of the segment 2 should be so dimensioned that the segment can be introduced easily (as far as its projection 12) into the cut-out 6.

In FIG. 3' the pipes 22 for the inflow of the cooling liquid (e.g'., water) are brought through the opening 24 in the rear or outer Wall of the segment 20. This opening is closed with the aid of a support plate 26 that can be screwed on to the segment. The support plate 26 has a common intake connector piece 28 for the two pipes 22. The leafshaped part of the segment 2 is divided into two open halves by a partition wall 32 extending from the inner wall 30 for about one third of the total length, and into these halves there extend the pipes 22 that bring in the cooling liquid. The cooling liquid is conducted to the outside again through openings 34 in the rear or outer wall of the segment.

The essential characteristic of the'support ring according to the invention, and of its segments, is. therefore that it is disposed free of the furnace wall; that is, it neither rests upon this masonry nor is it let into this masonry, andnevertheless it is so disposed that it is able to yield to movements originatingin the masonry lining. The masonry must self-evidently, for the purpose of protecting the. outer casing of the furnace and for other reasons, he carried all the Way up to the support ring, and the final gaps must be filled in with sand. These movements coming from the outer casing, particularly'its expansion at the beginning of furnace operations, are, in accordance with the invention, met by disposing the individual segments of the support ring in the outer armor or casing of the furnace in such a way that they are able to yield vertically and can be arranged so" that they are of themselves loose.

Even when this outer casing masonry becomes thinner during the, course of operations, the attachment. of the support ring is ensured under all conditions.

What is claimed is":

1. An armored shaft furnace having a furnace space and wall and an outer casing around same, and a support ring carried by said casing to suppo'rtthe usual impacttaking armor associated with. the upper region ofblast furnaces, the ring being composed of segments. extending cantilever fashion. inside saidwall, the segments being individualliy mounted'topermit thatdegree of vertical'movement thereof relative to the casing which, is caused by temperature fluctuations within the furnace and shaft, and which mounting ensures retention of a gas-tight seal as between the casing and the segments, and armor-bearing strength of the segments throughout all temperature fluctuations.

2. A shaft furnace according to claim 1 in which the individual segments each have a neck portion fitting into an adjacent cut-out in the casing, and a body portion which is wider than the neck portion for supporting the impact-taking armor, and a lower flange on each cut-out to support the neck portion of each individual segment.

3.. A shaft furnace according to claim 1 in which there is a cut-out in the casing for each segment with a lower transverse flange on which the segment rests, and an upper transverse flange and a projection on the segment that bears against the inner side edge of the lower transverse flange, in combination with an outwardly directed flange on the upper rear end of the segment, an angle-piece fastened to and extending. over the outwardly directed flange and whose inwardly directed outer edge bearsagainst the outer edge of the upper transverse flange.

4. A shaft furnace according to claim 3 in which the height of the projection on the segment corresponds substantially to the inwardly directed outer edge of the anglepiece and is so dimensioned thatit ensures the bearing of said edge of the angle-piece against the edges of the transverse flanges even in the highest position of the vertically moveable segment.

5. Ashaft furnace in accordance with claim 1 in which each individual segment is hollow and there are means to circulate. a stream ofcooling liquid therethrough comprising an openingin the rear outer wall of the segment and two; cooling liquid pipes in the segment in combination with. a common. intake connector for the pipes at the rear wall opening.

6. A shaft. furnace in. accordance with claim 5 in which there is a partition Wall extending from the cantilever end of the segment into the interior of the segment, the cooling liquid pipes extending past the partition wall and there being openings: in. the rear outer wall for removal of cooling liquid.

References, Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 320,5'86 Probert June 23, 1885 700,963 Meeha-n May 217-, 1902 1,039,282 Hicks Sept. 24, 1912 1,448,772 Shook Mar. 20, 1923 2,622,861 Talley Dec. 23, 1952 2,722,412 Anderson et a1 Nov. 1,. 1955 

1. AN ARMORED SHAFT FURNACE HAVING A FURNACE SPACE AND WALL AND AN OUTER CASING AROUND SAME, AND A SUPPORT RING CARRIED BY SAID CASING TO SUPPORT THE USUAL IMPACTTAKING ARMOR ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER REGION OF BLAST FURNACES, THE RING BEING COMPOSED OF SEGMENTS EXTENDING CANTILEVER FASHION INSIDE SAID WALL, THE SEGMETS BEING INDIVIDUALLY MOUNTED TO PERMIT THAT DEGREE OF VERICAL MOVEMENT THEREOF RELATIVE TO THE CASING WHICH IS CAUSED BY TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS WITHIN THE FURNACE AND SHAFT, AND WHICH MOUNTING ENSURES RETENTION OF A GAS-TIGHT SEAL AS BETWEEN THE CASING AND THE SEGMENTS, AND ARMOR-BEARING STRENGTH OF THE SEGMENTS THROUGHOUT ALL TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS. 